CN118696254A - Release the contact lens of WS12 - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention describes a contact lens that releases WS12 and a method for making the same. The contact lens that releases WS12 comprises a polymer lens body and WS12 that is releasably attached to the polymer lens body. The amount of WS12 that is releasably attached to the polymer lens body provides a basal tear concentration of 2 μg/ml to 8 μg/ml WS12 in the lens wearer after wearing the lens for 30 minutes. The contact lens that releases WS12 can be used to increase contact lens comfort, reduce eye fatigue, reduce the feeling of dry eyes, and impart a pleasant, cooling sensation in the lens wearer without causing stinging or burning after insertion.

Description

Release the contact lens of WS12

Technical Field

The field of the present invention relates to contact lenses, and in particular to contact lenses that provide a pleasant cooling sensation when worn.

Background Art

N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide (Registration No. 68489-09-8) (referred to as WS12) is a synthetic carbinol derivative. Therapeutic compositions comprising TRPM8 receptor agonists in an amount effective to increase tearing have been proposed for the treatment of dry eye syndrome (Belmonte et al., U.S. Pat. No. 10,028,920).

WS12 can be incorporated into silicone hydrogel contact lenses and withstand autoclave sterilization without degradation or leaching into the packaging solution (U.S. Patent Application No. 17/729,008). These lenses increase tearing, reduce the sensation of lens dryness, and improve comfortable lens wearing time in symptomatic contact lens wearers. However, for some lens wearers, there is a stinging/burning sensation when the contact lens is initially inserted into the eye. This stinging/burning sensation can cause the wearer to not use the contact lens at all, even if the stinging/burning sensation is temporary.

It would be desirable to provide a contact lens that would impart a pleasant, cooling sensation to all contact lens wearers without causing stinging or burning after insertion.

Summary of the invention

One feature of the present invention is to provide a contact lens that can release WS12 during lens wear without causing insertion pain or burning.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a contact lens that provides a refreshing or cooling sensation when the lens is worn.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide contact lenses that reduce eyestrain.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a WS12 releasing contact lens that most contact lens wearers find to be more comfortable to wear than lenses made of the same material but lacking WS12, regardless of whether they experience discomfort or drying symptoms with their habitual contact lenses.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in part in the following description, and in part will be known from the description, or may be learned by practicing the present invention. The objectives and other advantages of the present invention will be realized and achieved by means of the components and combinations particularly pointed out in this description and the appended claims.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention relates in part to a hydrogel contact lens containing an amount of WS12 releasably attached to the lens that enhances the comfort or desirability of the contact lens without increasing tearing in the wearer. In one example, the hydrogel contact lens is a silicone hydrogel contact lens.

In one example, the silicone hydrogel contact lens provides a basal tear concentration of 1.0 ng/ml to 10 ng/ml WS12, or 3 ng/ml to 6 ng/ml WS12 after about 30 minutes of wear.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is a bar graph showing contact lens wearers' preference for WS12-releasing contact lenses or control lenses after 7 days of lens wear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A clinical study was conducted to determine whether contact lenses that release an amount of WS12 lower than the amount previously evaluated (as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17/729,008) would show any improvement in comfort ratings without causing any stinging or burning sensations upon initial lens insertion. Surprisingly, the majority of study participants overwhelmingly preferred glasses that released low doses of WS12 over control glasses, even though the amount of WS12 used was found to be insufficient to provide an observable increase in tear volume. It is hypothesized that contact lenses that release relatively low levels of WS12 can achieve WS12 tear concentrations that are insufficient to trigger high threshold TRPM8 receptors involved in tearing, but still provide increased comfort or desirability due to a cool sensation. In addition, the amount of WS12 is insufficient to cause the initial stinging or burning sensation observed for relatively high dose glasses. Therefore, hydrogel contact lenses that release low doses of WS12 during wear and methods for making the same are described herein. The contact lenses may be referred to herein as contact lenses that release WS12. WS12 is released from the lens during wear in an amount that improves the comfort of the contact lens relative to a control lens without providing an observable increase in tear volume for the lens wearer and/or increased insertion pain relative to the control lens. Reference herein to a "control lens" refers to a contact lens that does not contain WS12 but is otherwise identical to the WS12-releasing lens to which it is compared.

The contact lens releasing WS12 comprises a polymer lens body and a certain amount of WS12 releasably attached to the polymer lens body. The amount of WS12 "releasably attached" to the polymer lens body refers to the total amount of WS12 that can be extracted from the contact lens by an ethanol (EtOH) extraction method as described in Example 1 below. In one example, the amount of WS12 releasably attached to the polymer lens body can be at least about 0.1 μg, 0.2 μg, or 0.3 μg, or 0.4 μg up to about 0.5 μg, or 0.6 μg or 0.7 μg, for example, about 0.3 μg to about 0.6 μg.

In one example, the contact lens releases an amount of WS12 sufficient to provide an average basal tear concentration of 1 ng/ml to 10 ng/ml WS12, or 2 ng/ml to 8 ng/ml WS12, or 3 ng/ml to 6 ng/ml WS12 in lens wearers (n=5) after 30 minutes of lens wear. The WS12 concentration in the basal tears of contact lens wearers can be determined using routine microcapillary tear collection methods and HPLC.

In one example, the contact lens releasing WS12 does not increase tearing in the lens wearer relative to the control lens. If the pre-lens tear meniscus height (TMH) when wearing the WS12-releasing lens is the same as or smaller than the TMH when wearing the control lens for the same period of time (e.g., after 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours or more hours), then increased tearing is confirmed. The tear meniscus height can be measured using an OCULUS Keratograph (K5M) or other equivalent methods.

As an example, the contact lens is the reaction product of a non-silicone hydrogel polymerizable composition. Non-silicone hydrogel contact lenses are typically formed from the polymerization of one or more hydrophilic monomers (e.g., 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) or vinyl alcohol), optionally in combination with other monomers, and do not contain siloxane molecules.

As an example, the contact lens comprises a polymer lens body that is a reaction product of a polymerizable composition comprising at least one siloxane monomer and at least one hydrophilic monomer and/or at least one hydrophilic polymer. Conveniently, as described in more detail below, the cured polymer lens body for silicone hydrogel can be extracted in an extraction solvent containing WS12, which results in the desired amount of WS12 being attached to the polymer lens body. Alternatively or additionally, WS12 can be added to the polymerizable composition. WS12 can be attached to the polymer lens body through hydrophobic interactions and/or can be physically embedded through the polymer network of the polymer lens body.

As used herein, the term "siloxane monomer" refers to any molecule containing at least one Si-O group and at least one polymerizable functional group. Siloxane monomers used in contact lens compositions are well known in the art (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,658,747 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,867,245). (All patents and publications mentioned herein and throughout are incorporated by reference in their entirety.) In some examples, the polymerizable composition comprises a total amount of at least 10% by weight, 20% by weight, or 30% by weight up to about 40% by weight, 50% by weight, 60% by weight, or 70% by weight of siloxane monomers. Unless otherwise specified, as used herein, a given weight percentage (wt%) of a component of the polymerizable composition is relative to the total amount of all polymerizable ingredients and IPN polymers (as further described below) in the polymerizable composition. The weight of the polymerizable composition contributed by components (e.g., diluents) that are not incorporated into the final contact lens product is not included in the wt% calculation.

In a specific example, the polymerizable composition comprises a hydrophilic vinyl monomer. As used herein, a "hydrophilic vinyl monomer" is any siloxane-free (i.e., Si-O-free) hydrophilic monomer in which there is a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond (i.e., a vinyl group) that is not part of an acrylic group in its molecular structure, wherein the carbon-carbon double bond of the vinyl group is not as reactive as the carbon-carbon double bond present in a polymerizable methacrylate group under free radical polymerization. As used herein, the term "acrylic group" refers to a polymerizable group present in acrylates, methacrylates, acrylamides, and the like. Therefore, although a carbon-carbon double bond is present in an acrylate group and a methacrylate group as used herein, such a polymerizable group is not considered a vinyl group. In addition, as used herein, a monomer is "hydrophilic" if at least 50 grams of the monomer is completely soluble in 1 liter of water (i.e., about 5% soluble in water) at 20°C as determined visibly using a standard shaking flask method. In various examples, the hydrophilic vinyl monomer is N-vinyl-N-methylacetamide (VMA), or N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP), or 1,4-butanediol vinyl ether (BVE), or ethylene glycol vinyl ether (EGVE), or diethylene glycol vinyl ether (DEGVE), or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the polymerizable composition comprises at least 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, or 25 wt% up to about 45 wt%, 60 wt%, or 75 wt% of the hydrophilic vinyl monomer. As used herein, a given weight percentage of a particular category of components (e.g., hydrophilic vinyl monomers, siloxane monomers, etc.) in the polymerizable composition is equal to the sum of the weight percentages of the components in the composition that fall within the category. Thus, for example, a polymerizable composition comprising 5 wt% BVE and 25 wt% NVP and no other hydrophilic vinyl monomers is said to comprise 30 wt% hydrophilic vinyl monomers. In one example, the hydrophilic vinyl monomer is a vinylamide monomer. Exemplary hydrophilic vinylamide monomers are VMA and NVP. In a particular example, the polymerizable composition comprises at least 25 wt% of the vinylamide monomer. In another particular example, the polymerizable composition comprises from about 25 wt% up to about 75 wt% of VMA or NVP, or a combination thereof. Additional hydrophilic monomers that may be included in the polymerizable composition are N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), ethoxyethyl methacrylamide (EOEMA), ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (EGMA), and combinations thereof.

In addition to or as an alternative to the hydrophilic monomer, the polymerizable composition may include a non-polymerizable hydrophilic polymer that produces a polymer lens body comprising an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN), wherein the non-polymerizable hydrophilic polymer interpenetrates the silicone hydrogel polymer matrix. In the present example, the non-polymerizable hydrophilic polymer is referred to as an IPN polymer, which is used as an internal wetting agent in a contact lens. In contrast, polymer chains within the silicone hydrogel network formed by polymerization of monomers present in the polymerizable composition are not considered to be IPN polymers. The IPN polymer may be a high molecular weight hydrophilic polymer, such as about 50,000 to about 500,000 Daltons. In a specific example, the IPN polymer is polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). In other examples, the polymerizable composition is substantially free of polyvinyl pyrrolidone or other IPN polymers.

As an option, one or more non-silicon containing hydrophobic monomers may be present as part of the polymerizable composition.A hydrophobic monomer is understood to be any monomer for which 50 grams of monomer is not visibly completely soluble in 1 liter of water at 20°C as determined using the standard shaking flask method. Examples of suitable hydrophobic monomers include methyl acrylate, or ethyl acrylate, or propyl acrylate, or isopropyl acrylate, or cyclohexyl acrylate, or 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, or methyl methacrylate (MMA), or ethyl methacrylate, or propyl methacrylate, or butyl acrylate, or 2-hydroxybutyl methacrylate, or vinyl acetate, or vinyl propionate, or vinyl butyrate, or vinyl valerate, styrene, or chloroprene, or vinyl chloride, or vinylidene chloride, or acrylonitrile, or 1-butene, or butadiene, or methacrylonitrile, or vinyl toluene, or vinyl ethyl ether, or perfluorohexylethylthiocarbonylaminoethyl methacrylate, or isoborneol methacrylate (IBM), or trifluoroethyl methacrylate, or hexafluoroisopropyl methacrylate, or tetrafluoropropyl methacrylate, or hexafluorobutyl methacrylate, or any combination thereof.

The hydrophobic monomer, if used, can be present in the reaction product of the polymerizable composition in an amount from 1 wt % to about 30 wt %, e.g., from 1 wt % to 25 wt %, from 1 wt % to 20 wt %, from 1 wt % to 15 wt %, from 2 wt % to 20 wt %, from 3 wt % to 20 wt %, from 5 wt % to 20 wt %, from 5 wt % to 15 wt %, from 1 wt % to 10 wt %, based on the total weight of the polymerizable composition.

The polymerizable composition may additionally include at least one crosslinking agent. As used herein, a "crosslinking agent" is a molecule having at least two polymerizable groups. Thus, a crosslinking agent can react with functional groups on two or more polymer chains in order to bridge one polymer to another. The crosslinking agent may include an acrylic or vinyl group, or both an acrylic and vinyl group. In certain instances, the crosslinking agent does not contain a siloxane moiety, i.e., it is a non-siloxane crosslinking agent. Various crosslinking agents suitable for use in silicone hydrogel polymerizable compositions are known in the art (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,231,218, which is incorporated herein by reference). Examples of suitable crosslinking agents include, but are not limited to, lower alkanediol di(meth)acrylates, such as triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, poly(lower alkane) glycol di(meth)acrylates, and lower alkylene di(meth)acrylates; divinyl ethers, such as triethylene glycol divinyl ether, diethylene glycol divinyl ether, 1,4-butanediol divinyl ether, and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol divinyl ether; bisvinyl sulfone; di- and trivinylbenzene; trimethylolpropane tri(meth)acrylate; pentaerythritol tetra(meth)acrylate; bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate; methylenebis(meth)acrylamide; triallyl phthalate; 1,3-bis(3-methacryloxypropyl)tetramethyldisiloxane; diallyl phthalate; and combinations thereof.

As is understood by those skilled in the art, the polymerizable composition may include additional polymerizable or non-polymerizable ingredients conventionally used in contact lens formulations, such as one or more of polymerization initiators, UV absorbers, tinting agents, oxygen scavengers, chain transfer agents, etc. In some examples, the polymerizable composition may include an organic diluent in an amount for preventing or minimizing phase separation between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic components of the polymerizable composition, so as to obtain optically clear lenses. Diluents commonly used in contact lens formulations include hexanol, ethanol, and/or other primary, secondary, or tertiary alcohols. In other examples, the polymerizable composition is free of or substantially free of (e.g., less than 500 ppm) organic diluents. In such examples, the use of siloxane monomers containing hydrophilic moieties (e.g., polyethylene oxide groups, pendant hydroxyl groups, or other hydrophilic groups) may make it unnecessary to include a diluent in the polymerizable composition. Non-limiting examples of these and other ingredients that may be included in the polymerizable composition are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 8,231,218.

Non-limiting examples of silicone hydrogels that can be used include comfilcon A, fanfilcon A, stenfilcon A, senofilcon A, senofilcon C, somofilcon A, narafilcon A, delefilcon A, narafilcon A, lotrafilcon A, lotrafilcon B, balafilcon A, samfilcon A, galyfilcon A, and asmofilcon A.

A specific example of the hydrogel contact lens of the present invention is a contact lens based on a polymerizable composition, wherein the polymerizable composition comprises 25 wt% to 55 wt% of a siloxane monomer, 30 wt% to 55 wt% of a vinyl monomer selected from NVP, VMA or a combination thereof, and optionally about 1 wt% to about 20 wt% of a hydrophilic monomer selected from N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), ethoxyethyl methacrylamide (EOEMA) or ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (EGMA) or any combination thereof, and optionally about 1 wt% to about 20 wt% of a hydrophobic monomer selected from methyl methacrylate (MMA), isobornyl methacrylate (IBM) or 2-hydroxybutyl methacrylate (HOB) or any combination thereof. The silicone hydrogel materials made from this specific embodiment of the polymerizable composition include Stanfecon A, Canfecon A, Shamofecon A, Vanfecon A and Enfilcon A. In another example, the polymerizable composition comprises a siloxane monomer of Stanfecon A, specifically a first siloxane monomer having a structure represented by formula (I),

and a second siloxane monomer having a structure represented by formula (II),

Conventional methods can be used to manufacture the contact lenses of the present invention. As an example, a polymerizable composition for a hydrogel composition is dispensed into a female mold member having a concave surface defining the front surface of the contact lens. A male mold member having a convex surface defining the back surface (i.e., corneal contact surface) of the contact lens is combined with the female mold member to form a contact lens casting mold assembly, which is subjected to curing conditions (e.g., UV or thermal curing conditions) under which the curable composition is formed into a polymer lens body. The female mold and male mold members may be non-polar casting molds or polar casting molds. The casting mold assembly is disassembled (i.e., demolded) and the polymer lens body is removed from the casting mold and unreacted components are extracted from the lens body using an organic solvent.

Conveniently, WS12 can be loaded into the polymer lens during the extraction step. Generally, after curing, the polymer lens body swells in an extraction solvent containing WS12. When the extracted polymer lens body is subsequently placed in a hydration solution (e.g., deionized water), the extraction solvent is removed and WS12 remains attached to the polymer lens body.

As an example, the extraction and hydration process may involve at least one extraction step in denatured ethanol (EtOH), followed by an extraction step comprising a mixture of EtOH and water (e.g., about 10% to 95% EtOH contained in water, such as about 30% to 80% EtOH contained in water), followed by at least one hydration step in deionized water, and each extraction and hydration step may be continued for about 15 minutes to about 3 hours at a temperature of about 20° C. to about 30° C. Any extraction solvent can be used as a loading solution for WS12. In one example, the concentration of WS12 in the extraction solvent is about 1.0 μg/ml to about 4.0 μg/ml (i.e., 1 ppm to about 4 ppm). In one example, the initial extraction solvent is EtOH and the second extraction solvent comprises a mixture of 30% to 80% EtOH contained in water and 1 ppm to 4 ppm WS12.

As part of the present invention, the contact lens can be sealed in a contact lens package. The packaging solution sealed in the contact lens package can be any conventional contact lens compatibility solution. In one example, the packaging solution comprises, consists of, or is substantially composed of an aqueous solution of a buffer and/or a tonicity agent. In another example, the packaging solution contains additional agents, such as one or more additional antimicrobial agents, and/or comfort agents, and/or hydrophilic polymers, and/or surfactants and/or other beneficial agents. In some examples, the packaging solution may include polysaccharides (e.g., hyaluronic acid, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, etc.) or other high molecular weight polymers, such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone, which is commonly used as a comfortable polymer or thickener in ophthalmic solutions and contact lens packaging solutions. In other examples, the packaging solution may include ophthalmic drugs. The packaging solution may have a pH in the range of about 6.8 or 7.0 up to about 7.8 or 8.0. In one example, the packaging solution includes a phosphate buffer or a borate buffer. In another example, the packaging solution comprises a tonicity agent selected from sodium chloride or sorbitol in an amount to maintain osmotic pressure in the range of about 200 to 400 mOsm/kg and typically about 270 mOsm/kg up to about 310 mOsm/kg.

Regarding contact lens packaging, such packaging may include or comprise a plastic base component, the plastic base component comprising a cavity configured to accommodate contact lenses and packaging solution and a flange area extending outwardly around the cavity. A removable foil is attached to the flange area to provide a liquid-tight seal. The removable foil can be sealed by any conventional means (e.g., heat sealing or gluing). Such contact lens packaging is well known in the art and is commonly referred to as a "blister pack" (see, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 7,426,993). The sealed packaging can be sterilized by sterilizing amounts of radiation (including heat or steam), such as by autoclave sterilization or by gamma radiation, electron beam radiation, ultraviolet radiation, etc. In a specific example, the packaged contact lenses are sterilized by autoclave sterilization.

The final product can be a sterile, packaged contact lens (eg, a silicone hydrogel contact lens) having ophthalmologically acceptable surface wettability.

In some examples, WS12 is stable once attached to the polymer lens body and does not substantially release or degrade from the polymer lens body during autoclave sterilization of a sealed contact lens package containing an unworn hydrogel contact lens contained in a packaging solution or during storage in its packaging solution, but does release during lens wear. Thus, the packaging solution in which the contact lens is impregnated has a WS12 concentration that is less than the detection concentration as determined by HPLC before autoclave sterilization, or shortly after autoclave sterilization, or after 1 day thereafter, or after 30 days thereafter, or after 60 days thereafter, or after 120 days thereafter.

In one example, the contact lens is sealed in a blister package as described above, and the blister package is further packaged in an indirect package containing a plurality of blister packages (e.g., at least 7, 14, 30, 60, or 90 blister packages), wherein each blister package with an indirect package contains a contact lens containing the same amount of WS12 as each other contact lens contained in the indirect package. As an example, each contact lens contained in the indirect package comprises a polymer lens body comprising 0.2 μg to 0.7 μg, or 0.3 μg to 0.6 μg WS12 releasably attached to the contact lens body, and wherein each of the contact lenses contains the same amount of WS12 (e.g., each contact lens contains 0.4 μg WS12 releasably attached to the contact lens body).

The WS12-releasing hydrogel contact lenses described herein can be used to increase contact lens comfort in contact lens wearers.

The hydrogel contact lenses releasing WS12 described herein can be used to reduce or prevent eye fatigue in contact lens wearers. In one example, the eye fatigue is associated with the use of digital devices (also known as "digital eyestrain", "digital eye strain" or "computer vision syndrome").

The WS12-releasing hydrogel contact lenses described herein can be used to reduce the sensation of dry eyes in contact lens wearers.

The WS12-releasing hydrogel contact lenses described herein can be used to impart a pleasant, cooling sensation to the contact lens wearer without causing stinging or burning after insertion.

The following examples illustrate certain aspects and advantages of the present invention, which should not be construed as being limiting thereof.

Example 1. Preparation of WS12-releasing contact lenses

Silicone hydrogel contact lenses were prepared by curing a formulation of Stanfecon A in a contact lens casting mold. The cured Stanfecon A was removed from the casting mold and extracted by immersing it in ethanol (EtOH) containing WS12 (Tocris Bioscience) at the loading concentration shown in Table 1 for 215 minutes. The lenses were removed from the EtOH and washed in DI water for about 6 minutes, followed by two exchanges of DI water for about 30 minutes each. The lenses were transferred to a 6 mL glass vial containing 3 mL of phosphate buffered saline (0.78 wt% NaCl, 0.05 wt% sodium dihydrogen phosphate, and 0.36 wt% sodium dihydrogen phosphate) at pH 7.5 (referred to herein as PBS). The vial was sealed and autoclaved.

Each autoclaved lens was transferred to a vial containing 3 ml of EtOH and stored overnight on a 150 rpm shaker at room temperature to extract WS12 from the lenses. The EtOH extracts and the PBS in which the lenses were autoclaved were submitted for analysis by HPLC (detection wavelength = 250 nm) against calibration standards to determine the average amount of WS12 loaded into each (n = 5) and whether the WS12 was leached from the lenses during autoclave sterilization. The results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1.

Glasses ID WS12 load concentration Average WS12/glasses WS12 concentration in PBS packaging solution A 5 μg/mL 0.42 μg Not Detected B 15 μg/mL 1.28 μg Not Detected C 50 μg/mL 4.30 μg 0.05 μg/mL

Example 2. One-week crossover clinical study of contact lenses releasing WS12

Twenty participants were enrolled in a 1-week, bilateral, randomized, crossover bilateral masking (investigator and participant) study. Participants were considered symptomatic lens wearers if they met the following two criteria: 1) they reported their total daily contact lens wear time (of their habitual lenses) minus their comfortable daily contact lens wear time to be 3 hours or more, and 2) they were classified as symptomatic using the classification system outlined in Table 2, which was adapted from the classification proposed by Young et al. (Characterizing contactlens-related dryness symptoms in a cross-section of UK soft lens wearers. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye 34 (2011) 64-70).

Table 2

Ten of the subjects were classified as symptomatic contact lens wearers, reporting a contact lens dryness/discomfort intensity rating of 2 or more (out of 5), and a contact lens dryness/discomfort frequency rating of "sometimes, frequently, or constantly." The remaining 10 participants were classified as asymptomatic contact lens wearers, reporting a contact lens dryness/discomfort intensity rating of 0 or 1 (out of 5) and a contact lens dryness/discomfort frequency rating of "rarely or never."

The WS12-releasing lens comprises a Stanfecon A contact lens containing about 0.42 μg WS12 per lens. Brand contact lenses served as control lenses. The participants wore the study lenses for at least 8 hours per day, removing them every night for 1 week each. After a 2-4 day washout period in which the subjects wore their habitual lenses, the second lens type in the randomized order was worn for 1 week.

result :

The WS12 releasing glasses demonstrated significantly better fit comfort at the glasses dispensing visit and at the one-week follow-up visit.

Overall, the WS12-releasing glasses felt cooler than the control glasses when inserted, with statistically significant differences only at the one-week follow-up visit.

Pleasantness ratings were overall similar between WS12-releasing and control glasses at all time points.

Insertion stinging/burning sensations were overall lower and similar between WS12-delivered and control glasses.

The pre-lens tear meniscus height measured by keratography was similar between the WS12-releasing lenses and the control lenses, indicating that the WS12-releasing lenses did not increase tear production.

Participants reported significantly less eyestrain when removing their glasses on the 5th day of using the WS12-releasing glasses.

The subjective dryness ratings for the WS12 releasing glasses were significantly lower.

Seventy percent of the subjects (14/20) preferred the WS12-releasing glasses at the end of the day on Day 5 and at the final study visit. The majority of subjects reported a strong preference for the WS12-releasing glasses. The overall eyeglass preference ratings are shown in Figure 1.

This article discloses certain illustrative examples, it should be understood that these examples are presented by way of example and not by way of limitation. Although exemplary examples are discussed, the intention of the foregoing detailed description should be interpreted as covering all modifications, substitutions and equivalents of the examples, which modifications, substitutions and equivalents may fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the additional disclosure.

Reference herein to "an example" or "a specific example" or "an aspect" or "an embodiment" or similar phrases is intended to introduce one or more features of a hydrogel contact lens or a component thereof that releases WS12, a sealed contact lens package or a component thereof, or a method of making a hydrogel contact lens that releases WS12, which (depending on the context) can be combined with any combination of previously described or subsequently described examples, aspects, embodiments (i.e., features), unless the particular combination of features is mutually exclusive or if the context indicates otherwise. In addition, as used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents (e.g., at least one or more) unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a contact lens" includes a single lens and two or more of the same or different lenses.

All references cited in this disclosure are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with this disclosure.

The present invention may include any combination of various features or embodiments described illustratively in the above and/or following claims as sentences and/or paragraphs. Any combination of features disclosed herein is considered part of the present invention and is not intended to limit the features that can be combined.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims (14)

1. An unworn sterile silicone hydrogel contact lens immersed in a packaging solution and sealed in a package, the contact lens comprising:

(a) A polymeric eyewear body; and

(B) A quantity of WS12 releasably attached to the polymeric eyewear body,

Wherein the amount of WS12 releasably attached to the polymeric lens body provides a basal tear concentration of 2ng/ml to 8ng/mlWS12 in the lens wearer after 30 minutes of lens wear.

2. The contact lens of claim 1 wherein the WS12 has a basal tear concentration of 3ng/ml to 6ng/ml after 30 minutes of lens wear.

3. The contact lens of claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of WS12 releasably attached to the polymer lens body is 0.2 μg to 0.7 μg.

4. The contact lens of any preceding claim, wherein the amount of WS12 releasably attached to the polymeric lens body is about 0.3 μg to about 0.6 μg.

5. The contact lens of any preceding claim, which does not increase tear level compared to a control lens.

6. The contact lens of any preceding claim, wherein the package is autoclave sterilized.

7. The contact lens of any preceding claim, wherein any WS12 in the packaging solution is less than the level of detection as determined by HPLC.

8. The contact lens of any preceding claim, wherein the package is a blister package comprising:

(a) A plastic base member comprising a cavity configured to house the contact lens and a packaging solution;

(b) A flange region extending outwardly around the cavity; and

(C) A removable foil attached to the flange region.

9. The contact lens of claim 8, further comprising an indirect package, wherein the indirect package comprises a plurality of blister packages, and wherein each blister package within the indirect package houses a contact lens comprising the same amount of WS12 as each other contact lens housed by the indirect package.

10. The contact lens of claim 9 wherein the indirect package houses at least 7 blister packages.

11. Use of a contact lens according to any preceding claim to increase the comfort of the contact lens in a contact lens wearer.

12. Use of a contact lens according to any one of claims 1 to 10 for reducing eye strain in a contact lens wearer.

13. Use of a contact lens according to any one of claims 1 to 10 to reduce the perception of dryness of the eyes in a contact lens wearer.

14. Use of a contact lens according to any one of claims 1 to 10 to impart a pleasant, cool feel in a contact lens wearer without causing stinging or burning after insertion.